Kahlua Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Contrary to the popular saying, it is often sadly true that the worst things in life are free, rather than the best. You should always be skeptical of people giving away things for 'free' and even those that are absurdly cheap, because after all, people love stuff. From collections of beer glasses stolen from various bars to the shoe closets of far too many women, it is clear that people don't love to get rid of their belongings. Sometimes people give away the dumbest things that make you wonder who is venturing out to Bethpage, NY just to pick up a build a bear outfit. These strange items are harmless but if you're not careful, these giveaways can become too addicting and before you know it you end up with 50 soiled mattresses from the local homeless shelter that would otherwise just be thrown away.

Thankfully, my new $3 springform pan is not in this category. I found it for super cheap and though I'm trying not to amass too grand a collection of belongings while I'm in Amherst lest I should have to buy another suitcase to haul it all back to New York, I could not resist this cheap buy. It might not be the highest quality, but it is functional and allows me to make cheesecakes that don't look like pies.

I wanted to make some sort of liqueur based cheesecake and settled on Kahlua. I've always had an affinity for Kahlua, even before I ever tasted it. About 8 years ago we I chose a dog from the pound, she was dark, sleek and shiny and my friend suggested the name Kahlua. I had no idea about the drink it referenced, but it sounded like a fun name, so for the first few weeks of her life, the dog was Kahlua.

However, we quickly became aware of what a ravenous creature she was as she devoured anything and everything in the house. From entire packages of cookies to remotes and bottles of medicine, there was nothing this dog wouldn't eat. My brother had decided that Doofus was a more appropriate name, which I adamantly resisted at first. Then, she chewed his cello bow to pieces, and I conceded that Doofus was most fitting.




This was proved to be even more true a few years later when we got her shaved during a hot Arizona summer. This showed off the weight she'd gained and made her look like the epitome of a Doofus...

Having a dog that looks this absurd made for a sad time for everyone in the house.

Its probably best that we ended very early on the comparison

between this silly dog and this beautiful drink. 

So I embarked on my cheesecake adventure, thrilled at the chance to use my fresh bottle of Kahlua for such a great purpose. It uses a massive quantity of cream cheese, but this recipe will serve 12 easily.

Now, I've never owned a food processor, and can count on one hand the number of times I've even operated one. 

The Modern Way

So when it came to crushing graham crackers for the crust, I went with a more tried and true method of glass cup and bowl. It vaguely resembles a mortar and pestle, but only requires the things found in a college student's kitchen.

The Student Way

The Old School Way

Just be sure that your glass cup has a flat bottom for crushing as a lip on the bottom makes it more difficult.

I have always loved cheesecake, and I can honestly say this is one of my favorite things I've ever made. It had a nice and creamy texture and the Kahlua flavor really came through nicely with the chocolate. Its no harder than any other cheesecake recipe, so give it a shot and be prepared to practice serious self restraint as you try not devour it all yourself.

Kahlua Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

For the crust:

10 Graham Cracker sheets

1/2 cup walnuts

5 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tsp pure cocoa powder

For the filling:

32 oz (4 packages) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs (room temperature)

1 cup Kahlua liqueur

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted

 

For decoration:

1/2 oz. dark chocolate

Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350F 

•  Crush the graham crackers and walnuts by pulsing in a food processor or smashing with a glass (see above).  
   
• Add the butter and cocoa powder and blend until well mixed.
   
• Line a 10" springform with parchment paper and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set it aside.

 

Filling:

• In a large bowl of a stand or hand mixer, mix the cream cheese with the sugar. 
   
• Add the eggs, one by one, mixing quickly after each addition. 
   
• Add 1 cup of Baileys and the vanilla extract. 
   
• Chop the chocolate into small pieces and microwave in 30s intervals until melted, let cool

• Separate about 1/3 of the mixture in another bowl, add the melted chocolate and whisk well. 

• Pour the plain mixture in the prepared springform pan and top with the chocolate mixture. 

swirl around until your heart's content

• Make a marbled design by swirling the batter with a knife.

• Bake 10 minutes in the oven set to 350 F degrees. Reduce the heat to 250 F degrees and bake for more 60-70 minutes. The edges will be firm and the center a little jiggle, the center will firm up as it cools. 
   
• Immediately run a thin knife around the edge to loosen it from the pan, but allow it to cool completely and then refrigerate it for at least an hour before you remove the sides of the springform pan. Serve chilled.
   
  • To decorate: use a vegetable peeler to scrape off small pieces of dark chocolate and sprinkle on top of cheesecake. 
     
    Recipe adapted from here